WARD 

DEWITT 

TAfLO. 


SONGS  AND  VERSES 
WALLER 


SONGS   AND 
VERSES 

SELECTED    FROM    THE    WORKS 

of 

Edmund  Waller,  Efy. 


NEW  YORK 

The  Village  Prefs 
191 1 


CONTENTS 

Song.    Peace  Babbling  Mufe!  7 

To  PHYLLIS  9 

Song.   CHLORIS  Farewell!  13 

On  a  Girdle  1 7 

Song.   Go  Lovely  Rofe!  19 


8  3983 


Song.  PEACE,  BABBLING  MUSE! 


PEACE,  babbling  mufe! 
I  dare  notfing  what  you  indite; 
ffer  eyes  refufe 

To  read  the  paffion  which  they  write: 
Sheftrikes  my  Jute, 
But  if  it  found) 

Threatens  to  hurl  it  on  the  ground: 
And  I  no  lefs  her  anger  dread \ 
Than  the  poor  wretch  that  feigns  him  dead, 
While  fome  fierce  lion  does  embrace 
His  breathlefs  corpfe,  and  lick  his  face  : 
Wrapd  up  infilentfear  he  lies, 
Torn  all  in  pieces,  if  he  cries. 


[7] 


To  PHYLLIS 


PHYLLIS!  why  fhould  we  delay 
Pleafures  fhorter  than  the  day? 
Could  we  (which  we  never  can!) 
Stretch  our  lives  beyond  their  f pan; 
Beauty  like  afhadowflies, 
And  our  youth  before  us  dies. 
Or  would  youth,  and  beauty ,  Jlay , 
Love  hath  wings,  and  will  away. 
Love  hath  fwifter  wings  than  time: 
Change  in  love  to  Heav'n  does  climb; 
Gods,  that  never  change  their  Jlate, 
Vary  oft  their  love  and  hate. 
PHYLLIS!  to  this  truth  we  owe 
All  the  love  betwixt  us  two: 
Let  not  you  and  I  enquire, 
What  has  been  our  pq/i  defer e: 
On  what  fhepherds  you  have  f  mil"  d, 

[9  J 


Or  what  nymphs  I  have  beguWd 
Leave  it  to  the  planets  too. 
What  we  f  hall  hereafter  do  : 
For  the  joys  we  now  may  prove >, 
Take  advice  of prefent  love. 


(   10] 


SONG 


Song.    CHLORIS  FAREWELL 


I  now  mufl  go: 
For  if  with  thee  I  longer  flay, 
Thy  eyes  prevail  upon  me  fo, 
I fhall  prove  blind,  and  lofe  my  way. 

Fame  of  thy  beauty,  and  thy  youth, 
Among  the  refl,  me  hither  brought: 
Finding  this  fame  fall fhort  of  truth, 
Made  me  flay  longer  than  I  thought. 

For  Pm  engaged  by  word  and  oath, 
Afervant  to  another's  will: 
Yet,  for  thy  love,  Pd  forfeit  both, 
Could  Ibefure  to  keep  itflill. 


But  what  affurance  can  I  take? 
When  thou,  foreknowing  this  abufe, 
Forfome  more  worthy  lovers  fake. 
May* ft  leave  me  with  fo  juft  excufe. 

For  thou  may" ft  fay,  'twas  not  thy  fault 
That  thou  didft  thus  inconftant  prove  ; 

Being  by  my  example  taught 
To  break  thy  oath,  to  mend  thy  love. 

No,  CHLORIS,  no:  I  will  return, 
And  raife  thy  ftory  to  that  height, 
That ftr anger s  f hall  at  diftance  burn; 
And f he  diftruftme  reprobate. 


Then  f hall  my  love  this  doubt  dif place 
And  gain  fuch  truft^that  I  may  come 
And  banquet fometimes  on  thy  face , 
But  make  my  conftant  meals  at  borne. 


ON  A  GIRDLE 


THAT  which  her /lender  waift  confirid, 
Shall  now  my  joyful  temples  bind: 
No  monarch  but  would  give  his  crown, 
His  arms  might  do  what  this  has  done. 

It  was  my  Heaven's  extremeftfphere, 
The  pale  which  held  that  lovely  deer  : 
My  joy,  my  grief  ,  my  hope,  my  love, 
Did  all  within  this  circle  move/ 

A  narrow  compafs!  and  yet  there 
Dwelt  all  that  V  good,  and  all  that  's  fair  : 
Give  me  but  what  this  riband  bound, 
Take  all  the  reft  the  fun  goes  round. 


Song.  Go!  LOVELY  ROSE 


GO,  lovely  rofe! 
Tell  her  that  waftes  her  time^  and  me, 

Thai  now  f  he  knows  ^ 
When  I  refemble  her  to  thee, 
How  fweet  and  fair  fhe  feems  to  be. 

Tell  her  thafs  young^ 
Andfhuns  to  have  her  graces  fpy'*  d 

That  hadft  thoufprung 
In  deferts^  where  no  men  abide^ 
Thou  muft  have  uncommended  dy'd. 

Small  is  the  worth 
Of  beauty  from  the  light  retired: 

Bid  her  come  forth  > 
Suffer  her  f  elf  to  be  defied  \ 
And  not  blufhfo  to  be  admired. 


[ 


Then  die!  that f he 
The  common  fate  of  all  things  rare 

May  read  in  thee: 
flow  f  mall  a  part  of  time  they  f  hare 
That  are/o  worf  drous  fweet  and  fair! 


One  hundred  ten  copies  of  this  booklet 
have  been  printed  at  the  Village  Prefs 
by  FREDERIC  and  BERTHA  GOUDY  in 
March  1911,  and  is  thefirjl  iffue  from 
the  PRESS  Jince  its  total  deftruftion  by 
fire  January  10, 1908. 


